


The Tilt Shift

by TheWizardAndHerLady



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-20
Updated: 2019-04-20
Packaged: 2020-01-22 22:39:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18536908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWizardAndHerLady/pseuds/TheWizardAndHerLady
Summary: Allura hated conjuring flame over and over, hated the way it sucked the heat from her very bones and left her shaking.To Allura’s distress, her weak spark was not enough and the kindling she had so painstakingly arranged went cold.





	The Tilt Shift

“Nice one, Allie! Thanks for that fireball, it was a big help,” Kima said, grinning.

“Of course,” Allura murmured, pulling her robes a little tighter around her shoulders and glancing around to make sure the trolls were truly dead. They were tricky like that, sometimes.

Ghenn marched up, wiping blood off their blade. “Well now that’s dealt with, we have a few hours before dark. Should we press on or make camp now? If Allura has another teleport-“

“I’m afraid I’ll need to rest first,” Allura admitted. “That fight used most of my spells.”

“Okay,” Ghenn said, sheathing their blade. “There was that clearing we passed a few minutes ago. How about we set up camp there and take it easy for the rest of the evening?”

The others all nodded their agreement and Allura sighed with relief. As much as she wanted away from the dank forest they were traversing, she definitely needed a break to regain her magic and calm the trembling of her hands. With a weary smile to Kima, she gathered her things and began the trek back to the clearing. The light that managed to pierce the canopy was still strong, but angled: Ghenn was right, it would be a few hours before dark, but Allura was desperate to get camp set up and get some rest.

Once they had arrived at the clearing, Kima and Drake began setting up the tents - not without their fair share of complaints, but it was their turn. Allura chuckled as Kima poked Drake with one of the poles, only to promptly have a tarp thrown over her head. Rolling their eyes at the pair, Dohla and Ghenn settled on a log next to where Sirrus was cleaning his knives. Allura went to join them, but hesitated.

“I’m going to get a fire started,” she announced quietly. Only Ghenn bothered to look up.

“Really? Now?” they questioned.

Allura shrugged.“It’s not like we’re short of firewood. And I’m hungry.”

Ghenn just blinked, then resumed brushing the gore from their hair. “Okay. Bring me some of whatever you make.”

Nodding, Allura turned and escaped into the trees to gather some firewood. Normally, this would be Kima or Dohla’s job, but Allura didn’t want to bother them. Finding a few logs that seemed dry enough and not too large to carry, she carefully wrapped her hands in her sleeves to lift them. The makeshift gloves did little to protect her from the longs splinters, but Allura grit her teeth and pushed through the discomfort.

Finally making it back, she carefully arranged the wood in the center of camp and set up a perimeter of stones. One more trip to gather a stack of kindling, and Allura was ready. Pointing a finger at her creation, she muttered a few words and watched as a small flame bloomed. Even the minor effort made her shake harder, and Allura pulled her hands back into her cloak to try and warm them. Why did trolls have to be susceptible to fire? Allura hated conjuring flame over and over, hated the way it sucked the heat from her very bones and left her shaking.

To Allura’s distress, her weak spark was not enough and the kindling she had so painstakingly arranged went cold. Cursing to herself, Allura fumbled through her robes, reaching into her Bag of Holding and withdrawing the small tinderbox she kept for emergencies. She managed to find the flint and went to strike it, but her hands were trembling too violently. She couldn’t maintain a good grip. After a few tries the flint pinched her finger and Allura dropped the pieces with a yelp. She left them where they lay in the dirt, sucking on her finger where it had cut her and trying to keep herself together. It was such a tiny wound, but it stung, and she was tired and the fire wouldn’t start and she was so, so cold…

She jumped to feel a hand on her shoulder as Kima appeared beside her, out of her armor, sweaty from her tussle with Drake and grinning broadly. “Hey there,” she said, and Allura was relieved that Kima didn’t seem to notice her distress, “need a hand?”

“I- yes, thank you,” Allura admitted. If she were not so cold, she would have been blushing.

Kima took the tinderbox from where it had fallen. “Always happy to help,” she said with a wink. In a few short minutes, Kima had the kindling alight, and the flames soon began eating at the larger logs Allura had collected. Kima settled in next to her. Allura could feel her presence, partly the electric tension that always seemed to exist between them, and partly the fact that Kima’s small body acted like a furnace. It took all Allura’s willpower not to lean into the warmth.

Instead, Allura pulled her hands in tighter so Kima couldn’t see them shaking and stared into the fire. “Well done on the troll, earlier. They’re nasty to get too close to, and you were right up against it for most of the battle.”

“Yeah, well,” Kima said, turning a little pink. Allura grinned. “I did my best. And you didn’t do too bad yourself.”

“Thanks,” Allura whispered. It was all she could do to keep her teeth from chattering. _Gods damn it, why couldn’t this fire do its job?_

“You’re all healed up, right? I think the others are too, so if you want I could take a look at your hand.”

“What?” Allura looked at Kima in confusion.

“Your hand? It sounded like you hurt yourself on the flint earlier.”

“Oh. It’s just a small cut. It’s fine, really,” Allura insisted.

Kima chuckled. “It’s no problem. Like I said, everyone’s healed up, and we don’t want it to get infected.”

Hesitantly, Allura withdrew her injured hand from her robes, passing it to Kima.

“Oh good, it’s not too deep. But even a small cut can- holy shit!” Kima held her hand gently between her own to inspect the cut, eyes wide. “My gods, Allie, your hands are ice! Are you sure you’re okay? Are you feeling ill?”

Allura tried to pull away, but Kima refused to let her go, holding her hand tight. Before Allura could respond there was a pulse of warmth that ran through her fingers, healing the cut, and Kima reached for her shoulders. “Did it get you with its club? You could be going into shock. Here, lay down and I’ll-“

“No, I’m fine!” Allura insisted, pulling away as best she could. “The fire spells just take a lot out of me, when they’re back to back like that. I’ll warm up in no time.”

Eyes wide, Kima stared at her. “Are you sure? You’ve never mentioned this before…”

Allura smiled weakly. “It’s fine, I promise. Just uncomfortable.” A tremor racked her body and she drew her robes tighter around her shoulders, shifting as close the flames as she dared. Gods, she hated feeling cold.

Ever a woman of action, Kima jumped up. “Wait here, then,” she instructed, rushing over to the others. Allura sighed. This was exactly what she was trying to avoid; the last thing she wanted was to concern everyone.

She needn’t have worried, however. Kima returned moments later with several blankets, which she quickly threw around Allura’s shoulders. She stoked the fire, then rejoined Allura on the ground.

“Any better?” she asked hopefully, and Allura didn’t have the heart to tell her no.

“Y-yes,” she replied, but Kima saw the lie plain as day and reached through the blankets to take her frozen hand again.

“Does it normally take this long?” Kima asked, rubbing her skin.“It’s a warm evening, you have a fire and blankets…”

“Yes,” Allura admitted. “It usually takes a while. Don’t worry yourself over it.”

Kima frowned, and Allura resisted the urge to smooth away the line between her eyebrows. Instead, she focused on Kima’s hands around her own, strong and calloused. They sat in silence for a long minute. The worst of Allura’s tremors began to subside, but she was still shaking and her muscles were growing sore from the effort. She pulled one of the blankets over her head, hoping to catch every bit of escaping heat.

“Okay, that’s it,” Kima announced, shuffling closer. “Here, scooch up.” She took the front of Allura’s blankets and began to pull them away from her body. Allura let out an embarrassing whimper at the loss, but didn’t stop her. To her surprise, Kima settled down next to her, pulling the blankets around them both and drawing Allura into her arms.

It was heaven, Allura was convinced of it. She wasn’t sure if it’s because it was Kima, who she had been dreaming about doing this exact type of thing with for months, or if it was because Kima’s muscular frame radiated heat like a small sun. Allura could feel her skin prickle pleasantly as her muscles relaxed. Closing her eyes, she melted into Kima’s embrace.

Allura lost track of how long she was there, relieved to feel the warmth gradually seeping back into her bones. The occasional tremor still shook her, but each time Kima’s grip became a little stronger and the cold faded a little more. The closer they got, the warmer Allura felt, and the heavier her eyelids became. Allura was just drifting off when she heard footsteps approach. She struggled to focus on the conversation, unable to bring herself to open her eyes. Kima’s voice was soft in her ear.

“Yeah, she just got really cold. She said it’s from her magic. Have you ever heard of that before?”

The response was quiet, trying not to wake Allura.

“What do I do, Ghenn?”

The elf settled near the two of them, their voice fading into focus. “…got it covered. Just keep her warm until her body recovers enough that she can do it herself.”

“Right.”

“She did a lot today, it’s no surprise she needs some rest. You’re doing good, Kima.”

“Thanks.”

Allura failed to catch Ghenn’s response as they shuffled off, leaving the two of them alone again. The last thing she felt before drifting off was soft fingers carding through her hair and Kima’s lips, pressed against her temple.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! I just got an account here, so this is one of a few things I have previously posted on tumblr. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> (If you want you can find me at breaktheworldforyou on tumblr)


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